Digital signs are increasingly replacing traditional paper-based signs, such as posters, painted billboards, and light boxes. Typical displays used for digital signs include LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors, plasma displays, OLED (organic light-emitting diode) monitors, and e-paper (electronic paper) displays. Such digital signs based on these displays are commonly found in indoor areas, for example, in restaurants, bars, clubs, public transportation hubs, stadiums, and hospitals. The digital signs are often based on using digital televisions having flat panel displays.
In many of these public areas televisions are frequently used to deliver television content to entertain waiting customers, commuters, patients, etc. These very locations frequently also have digital signs to inform or advertise to these same viewers. However, there are several disadvantages encountered when digital signs are placed in these areas along with televisions. For example, co-locating a digital sign next to, or in the vicinity of, a television would result in competing for the attention of the audience, and hence limiting the effectiveness of advertising. Moreover, significant electricity consumption would result from co-locating two or more display devices in a single area. Furthermore, there may not be sufficient space to collocate the two devices. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon to see a digital sign placed next to a television in many public locations.
Hence, there is a need for a mechanism to provide digital sign capabilities to televisions, that would allow both a digital sign capable and television signals to be presented to viewers. It is with respect to these considerations and others that the present invention has been made.